NIOSH Planning Safety Survey of O&G Extraction Workers

Workers who drive as a part of their work duties will be asked to complete an additional set of questions about their driving environment and behaviors.

Sep 15, 2015

NIOSH recently announced it plans to conduct a study of the safety and health issues of land-based oil and gas extraction workers. The questionnaire would be distributed to workers in three states (Texas, North Dakota, and a state in the Appalachian Basin); workers who drive as a part of their work duties will be asked to complete an additional set of questions about their driving environment and behaviors. With a goal of having 500 workers participate, the agency's notice said it plans to approach 625 workers in order to have 500 workers complete the survey.

Here's how the notice described the study's goals:

to determine on-duty and off-duty factors that contribute to motor vehicle crashes, injuries and illness among U.S. land-based O&G extraction workers

to identify other safety and health needs and concerns of U.S. land-based O&G extraction workers

The survey will be distributed at temporary modular lodging facilities ("man camps"), training centers, equipment/trucking yards, well sites, and community centers in oilfield towns.

Only four comments were submitted about the proposal; the comment deadline was Sept. 8. The docket number for the notice at www.regulations.gov is Docket No. CDC-2015-0051.